Expleo
by Caput Volturius
Summary: The difficult times that laid ahead have come. And, as Hagrid said, the best Harry could do was be ready to meet them when they came. And he would be ready with the love of his life at his side.


Expleo

Co-written by: Virgo Animus and Caput Volturius

"…_He will have power the Dark Lord knows not…_

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither_

_can live while the other survives…"_

Harry's eyes flickered open, a gasp escaping his lips. Professor Trelawney's voice, deep and distorted with the infinite possibilities of time, rang through his mind yet again. But that's why this prediction – prophecy – made by Trelawney was different. There weren't any other possibilities. It wasn't just a fraud making accusations based on the character of a person. This was real.

But Harry Potter had other things to worry about. He always was good at dueling, and maybe he'd get lucky again when dealing with the dreaded Dark Lord. He had to balance classes, Quidditch, and a girlfriend. It was hard enough for a seventeen-year-old boy to have to deal with his busy schedule. Let's not mention having an overly zealous evil wizard obsessed with seeing you dead.

A small, feminine hand slid over his shoulder, gripping it reassuringly. "Finals are coming up, Harry. You should be paying more attention to your studies," Hermione stated, for at least the thousandth time that week. Harry shook his head and put his hand over hers. Good old Hermione, reminding him just what was important in life. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. Quidditch practice had run a little long last night, so he had had to stay up late to finish his homework. He had just been enjoying the wash of warmth in front of the Gryffindor common room fire.

Ron stomped into the common room. "Oh, come on, Hermione. Just one quick peek at your History of Magic homework. I forgot who this one guy is that we have to write about that helped in the Goblin Rebellion. Ulric the Ugly or something? Oh, man," he moaned as he held up his parchment, still two inches short of being a complete essay.

"Oh, Ron - …"

"…How will you learn?" Harry mimicked. As Hermione laughed at Harry's accurate impression, she glanced up at Harry. He was looking at her with that all-penetrating stare, a knowing smile barely gracing his lips. Hermione grinned back, but then looked at Ron awkwardly. She let her hand fall from Harry's shoulder. She busied herself with digging through her bulging book bag.

"Here, Ron. Just this once." As Ron was hurriedly scanning Hermione's tiny handwriting, both of his best friends disappeared out of the common room, stealing into an empty classroom. Ron glanced up at the two, shaking his head, before resuming his work on the essay.

Harry sat down on one of the desks, glancing around to see if Peeves or another ghost was lurking in the corners. Hermione joined him in sitting. They both liked escaping to a quiet place. They didn't want everyone to watch. After all, Harry Potter was still famous. And everyone knew. They had tried to keep it a secret, but anything that was a secret around Hogwarts was naturally known to the whole student body.

"This is a lot better. No more Ron looking over my shoulder," Harry explained, pulling her closer to him with a smile. He leaned over to kiss her cheek, running his fingers down her jaw line. "He's just jealous that I have the most talented witch right here at my side." Harry smiled cheekily and leaned against her shoulder.

Hermione sighed at Harry's obvious flattery. Just because she was a bookworm didn't mean that she couldn't feel special. "It's been almost a year." She ran her fingers through Harry's perpetually messy hair affectionately. It hadn't been that long, she thought, that she had walked in on Harry and Ron on the train their first year, scolding them for fighting. It was hard to imagine that seven years later she would be in love with the most famous wizard of their world.

Harry nodded, but seemed rather distant with Hermione. His hands were buried into the pockets of his robes, a nervous expression on his face. It was as if he were just deciding whether he should do something or not. With a concerned look from Hermione, he seemed to come to. "Hermione? I have something to give you."

With a confused expression to replace her concerned one, she looked deep into Harry's green eyes, so like his mother's that he never knew.

"Close your eyes."

Waving a hand in front of Hermione's eyes, to make sure she wasn't peeking, he whipped a long, thin box from his robes. He muttered a levitation charm under his breath. The box floated just under eye level, and Harry pulled the lid off the box. Hermione didn't have to wait long to see what Harry had in store. He slid next to her, placing a strong hand on her waist.

"Open."

Floating in front of her was a necklace made of silver. Or at least it looked like silver at first glance. She reached out to touch the round, thin chain, expecting a cold, hard feeling. The chain of the necklace was a tube of… "It's glass, charmed so that it won't break. Go, on..look," Harry muttered into Hermione's ear. He was excited. Excited to see what she thought of it. Inside this tube was a aqueous substance. It didn't look quite like a gas, nor was it a liquid. It was something magical that she had never seen before. This substance gave off a soft glow, a warmth exuding from the glass. But this power was guarding something…the pendant dangling from it. It was a white, oval stone, swirling with several delicate colors, surrounded by the pendant itself that was onyx black. Hermione turned to Harry, not sure what to make of such a beautiful token.

He tapped the chain of the pendant. "It's the force behind the locked door in the Department of Mysteries. I bottled it up when I got back to Hogwarts. I've done a lot of research. Dumbledore said it was one of the most mysterious substances. You know what I think it is?" Hermione shook her head. "I think it's love, Hermione. It's terribly stubborn stuff, but when it realized what I was doing, it cooperated."

"Harry. You know that whatever this stuff is, it's dangerous. You shouldn't be playing around with it. But…It's so beautiful," Hermione argued, but it looked like she was enamored by this piece of jewelry. She glanced up at him curiously. "This looks like a pensieve…"

Harry grinned. "I always knew that you were the smartest witch. It _is_ a pensieve. But it's a special one. It changes to fit the wearer's happiest memory." He reached over to the box and picked up the necklace. He brushed aside her bushy brown hair, pausing to smell the sweet aroma of her shampoo. Clasping the necklace on, he held up the pendant to face them both. "Touch it."

She touched the white stone without hesitation; she trusted Harry with her life. In a matter of seconds she and Harry were witnessing her happiest moment.

The sun's rays were on them as they watched themselves sit near the pond. The sun was setting, and there were few students out at this time. Their past selves were laying down, watching the giant squid splashing in the lake, laughing and talking.

"Hermione?" Harry mumbled as he turned to face her. He was smiling nervously.

"Yes, Harry." The sun was casting shadows on their forms. It seemed like the perfect moment.

He leaned in to place a tender kiss on her lips. "I love you."

The memory began to fade and Hermione and Harry were left back in the empty classroom, smiling a secret smile that they shared. "This memory won't change. At least not until we get married," Hermione whispered, hoping not to break the magic of the moment.

"This necklace is a promise, Hermione. If I make it through this war, I want to marry you." He looked up at her, hopeful.

"Nothing will happen, Harry. You're going to defeat You-Know-Who, and we'll be able to live life without worrying," Hermione insisted, pulling her boyfriend into a tight hug.

"You must be taking lessons from Mrs. Weasley," Harry joked, hugging her back with less enthusiasm.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked curiously.

Harry shook his head. "It's just that…How do you know that everything will be all right? I could die, you know."

It was Hermione's turn to shake her head, fervently. Tears sprang to her eyes, but no, she wasn't going to cry. This was a happy day. Harry had just said that he would marry her after the war. "Harry, you're the Boy-Who-Lived! You'll triumph yet again. Remember what the prophecy said. It said that you have the power to vanquish You-Know-Who."

"I know, Hermione. I know."


End file.
